J. R. Trippe Middle School was recently recognized as one of only five middle schools in the state of Georgia to receive a gold award for making great gains in student achievement. Schools must meet three criteria to be determined winners, and J. R. Trippe met that criteria as follows:

•a) Made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for 2 consecutive years.

•b) Demonstrated that at least 30% of students exceed standards in all test areas as measured by state assessments, and

Kathleen Mathers, Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement commented in her letter to the school congratulating them on the award that "it takes the collaborative effort of teachers, principals, and parents working with students to reap this level of success, and I applaud your entire school community for this accomplishment."

Gwen Warren, Principal at J. R. Trippe Middle School, agreed with Ms. Mathers that it does take effort on the parts of all the adults to help children show this type of gain in student achievement. Mrs. Warren says that the J. R. Trippe faculty members hold high expectations for all their students, and they provide the high quality education and support to enable the students to achieve at this high level. She noted that J. R. Trippe actually surpassed the standards set for earning the gold award. They have achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the past five consecutive years and have been recognized each of those years for being a Title I Distinguished School.